Welcome to another edition of the 10 Questions series I am asking anyone involved in paintball. The idea behind these articles is to get everyone’s opinions, not just those who are at the highest level of the game but everyone including rec players. Please feel free to email us with your answers.
Dan ”Dexter” Kay
North East England
Why do you play paintball?
I play paintball because it feels right. I found most other sports are pointless and was never really interested, but on a Saturday or Sunday morning when I’m gearing up, having a laugh with my mates, it feels good.
What is your favorite style of play, and why?
I don’t really have a favorite style of play. If you mean how I play then its normally get right in there and try to take out as many as I can. If you mean what I play, I play both woods and Supair and they couldn’t be more different, but each has its perks and its drawbacks. but that’s something you must accept when you start playing.
What are your plans for the 2010 season?
Well I will be playing for Newcastle Lockdown in the CPPS series and I will also hopefully be attending some big games here in the UK.
What is your all time favorite marker you have owned?
My favorite marker….this is another tricky one for me. I love all my markers even the ones that don’t work but what I will say is that I do have a soft spot for old school markers.
Where is your favorite field, why?
My favorite field would have to be my local field, its where I first started playing and I know everyone there.
Who are the 3 best players in the game?
Matty Marshall, Thomas Taylor and Ollie Lang
What can be done to better the game?
I don’t know about the game in general. But for me personally it would have to be stop buying broken (or breaking) guns.
What is your local paintball scene like?
Its ok, it could be better but lately there has been some new faces attending the monthly walkons.
If you could have a mascot what would it be?
If I could have a mascot it would have to be a giant paintball with a huge smiley face on it.
Where will paintball be in 10 years?
Well hopefully people will be more aware of it. I would like to see a day when i say i play paintball without having to expect ”oh so your a Rambo wannabe”
Bryan Dragan
East Aurora, NY
Why do you play paintball?
I play paintball because nothing else can give me that adrenaline rush like paintball does, when I started playing paintball at the age of 10 my life was crazy everyday would go school, hockey practice, soccer practice, baseball practice, and football practice. After a while I left all of those behind so I could be at the field every weekend Saturday and Sunday. Also in paintball no matter where you go to play you will always meet a cool group of people.
What is your favorite style of play, and why?
I play 7 man because when I started playing that’s what practices at my field ended up being like, we weren’t the smartest kids so we would practice for our 5 man tournaments with seven people…
What are your plans for the 2010 season?
In the 2010 season I plan on playing pump as often as I can until I figure out what college living costs will be like. My dorm is less than a mile away from a paintball field so I’m hoping to go every weekend. This summer however I should be playing in the pump division for the NPPL D.C. event.
What is your all time favorite marker you have owned?
My favorite marker I’ve ever owned is my 2008 pink and green ego. Not only did the gun shoot great but everyone was completely jealous of the pink gun, there’s not a lot of crazy markers here in WNY.
Where is your favorite field, why?
CFP In Lakeland, Florida, everyone there was great and they got me started in paintball. I use to be at CFP every Saturday, Sunday, and Fridays if I could make it. I even use to skip field trips to go to the field and hang out with Mark the guy that ran the pro shop. CFP was where I also spent my last weekend living in Florida me and my brother helped them set up a new woodsball field.
Who are the 3 best players in the game?
I can’t pick just 3 players I would have to say the whole San Francisco Explicit . They’re all such a nice group of people, and they’ll do anything to help the sport out. I will say that I probably have the best relationship with Rob Montiero because he was the first person from the team that I talked to. Then Ryan Pruitt because I chilled with him in Cali before we played paintball, and he let me sleep on the sack in his room. Matt Jones because I use to think he was an angry guy but he turned out to be super cool and now he’s my COD buddy, and finishing it all up with John Thai because we shared a bed in sac-town. There’s also one guy named Paul Costa that I use to be super close with, I haven ‘t talked to him in years now but he use to play for New York extreme and me and him use to chill together at CFP.
What can be done to better the game?
The number one thing to make this sport better is to get rid of that barrier that some people have between the speedball players and the woodsball players, I don’t know why there is one there but it’s not doing anything and we are all here playing this sport because we love it. Also the stealing unlike other sports we aren’t cheap so there is thousands to lose. I’ve personally had a gun and hundreds in equipment taken from me but for new players this might make them decide to never play again.
What is your local paintball scene like?
The local paintball scene here is not good at all the fields are poorly run the refs are under trained. When I took my girl friend to play for her first time I had to walk out there and stop the game to prevent the kid with a vice and the other kid with an ego from destroying my girlfriend and her piranha.
If you could have a mascot what would it be?
My mascot would have to be a Dragon, it just makes sense.
Where will paintball be in 10 years?
In ten years paintball will be on T.V. for sure hopefully in the Olympics and the sport will have a ton of outside sponsors. Paintball will be what we all hope it will become.
